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Essay / The Effects of Consumption of Theanine on People with Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a late-onset disease that usually occurs in people over 65 years of age. Thanks to advances in modern healthcare, people will now live longer, leading to an increase in the number of people with AD. Alzheimer's disease continually progresses with age, leading to cognitive impairment and eventually death. It is currently the sixth leading cause of death, with no current methods of prevention or treatment. Previous research on theanine has been promising. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayTheanine is a biomolecule primarily found in tea-producing plants. Previous studies have shown that it could potentially be used as a prophylaxis or treatment method for people with AD. It has been found that overstimulation of the NMDA receptor can lead to an increase in beta-amyloid peptides in particular regions of the brain, which is characteristic of the disease. Increased receptor activation also caused elevated toxic release of glutamate, signaling neuronal cell apoptosis. Theanine has been shown to block the NMDA receptor, ultimately suppressing apoptosis and reducing the amount of beta-amyloid peptides formed in AD. In this article, I will analyze the study conducted by Kazuki et al. and how they used theanine as a treatment for patients with neurodegenerative diseases. The aim of their study was to see the therapeutic effects of green tea extracts (theanine and catechins) on elderly people suffering from cognitive disorders. In order to obtain the appropriate sample, Kazuki et al. recruited 12 participants from a nursing home. Two of the participants were male and ten were male. This could have led to a confounding factor, as women tend to have higher AD cases at older ages. The average age of participants was 88 years. Each participant had either early-onset Alzheimer's disease or another type of neurodegenerative disease. There was also a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Some of the inclusion criteria were that participants had to be over 65 years old and able to orally consume green tea extract in powder form. The numerous inclusion and exclusion criteria mean that the study has less external validity. Therefore, the WSR model becomes weaker because individuals who do not fit the inclusion criteria will not be considered. One of the patients was taking prescribed medication for dementia. This could have led to a confounding factor and provided weaker evidence from the EBM perspective. Participants consumed green tea powder for three months. A Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was given to participants to assess the level of their cognitive impairments. The lower the score, the greater their cognitive deficit. The exam consisted of five elements. Additionally, data were collected on patients' blood pressure, serum lipid levels, and blood sugar levels. This was done because atherosclerosis has been shown to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Atherosclerosis is caused by high blood pressure. They therefore checked whether the extract would have an effect on lowering blood pressure. This process took a more holistic approach because it linked multiple diagnoses together. All test results were recorded at the beginning and after the three-year period..4373